Character. Scene. Name. Laughter.

EXERCISE 131: BUILDING CHARACTER

whatever else helps

Make very precise character sketches of five people you love and two strangers. Observe things like how they talk, move, think, eat, interact, confront, express various emotions or whatever else helps describe their character, who they are. BE PRECISE!

1. This person absolutely glows like a brilliant star. They have been a friend of my family for many years at a slow and steady pace. They are a community creator. They are a family builder. They are a generation connector. Their generosity of spirit extends beyond, beyond, and beyond. They wear stylish clothes and speak with a gentle Southern accent. They wear gentle age and comfortable shoes. They taught me about sisterhood. They walk through grief holding loved ones close, going for three hour coffees, and shuttling grandchildren. 
2. This person is an artist I met while eating dinner at a restaurant bar a few years ago. They live in a different city and we texted and emailed and shared work several times. They create art in a Brooklyn studio. They show art in galleries around the world and at Art Basel. Their blonde hair bounces off of silk blouses. Their make-up, sun kissed. Their work, abstract. Their past, the story of a self-described escape from a religious cult. 
3. They were born about 6 months after me. Our parents were graduate school friends. We got in childhood trouble. We spent summers on a Michigan lake and I visited them in California when I was in 7th grade. Peaceful green eyes and a warm laugh that always feels like being hugged. Their style reflects Hawaiian love and flowers. They became a middle school teacher and have remained a middle school teacher special education teacher for more than 30 years. Their love of music spans marching bands and reggae concerts. Their home is one of love and community — a little Indiana and a little California. Their family traveled across country to my wedding years ago. They are family. 
4. I voted for them. Their fearless example of faith and courage inspires me every day. They are creative and kind. They have lost and kept going. They have published 18 books. They love Star Trek, voting rights, and answering questions directly. I watch their leadership in awe — steady, calm, and smart at every turn. Service is their rhythm. 
5. I recently met up with a friend I have known for 15 years. They bring people together. They have a musician’s heart, are an absolute force, and laugh with their entire body. They lean in and listen, paying attention like a musician always does. They say yes and no with honest clarity. That is important. Once new to their city, they took me into the fold of their friends, always one to widen the circle. That is important, too. Having learned from her, I follow her example and try to do that in my own life, too. 

EXERCISE 132: WRITING A SCENE WITHIN A SCENE

in lyric terms

Describe a scene of your home life at a particular moment when it seemed the whole world was watching the same thing in awe (or terror). Inside of that scene reveal one or two brief intimate facts or images. Consider the texture and emotion of the personal revelations in contrast to that of the global event.

January 6, 2021. I will never forget watching our United States Capital being violently stormed by supporters of Donald Trump in order to prevent the certification of the 2020 Presidential election. I sat watching and weeping for the police officers that were being attacked, for Congress people hiding under desks as rioters entered the space smearing feces and threatening the very heart of our democracy, for our Vice President running through back halls to protect himself and his family. The fact the perpetrators of the violence have been pardoned truly breaks my heart. 

What do I remember most about that day? The amount of time it took for relief to arrive to stop the violence. I remember thinking, and saying to my husband one thousand times, “the peaceful transfer of power can never again be taken for granted”. I remember a slow rage, a scream that stayed right in my throat choking me. I remember a deep disgust. I thought of my grandfathers who served in our military. I thought of our next generation that they will never understand a country that does not tolerate insurrection. I thought of the promise, that trust — in today and tomorrow — that was broken.

EXERCISE 133: WRITING BY HAND

you know well

Handwrite a letter to the oldest person you know well.

See My Journal

EXERCISE 134: WHAT’S IN A NAME?

tell the story

Tell the story of your name.

Kathlyn Marie Steedly Curling. I am named for my maternal and paternal grandmothers. Kathlyn Virginia Pontrich Steedly Halliburton — my father’s mother — “Nana” — took me to the beauty shop with her, taught me how to tend roses, peonies, and dahlias, and spent News Years Eves dancing with me to Guy Lombardo and Engelbert Humperdinck. Emma Marie Schmidt Briggs — my mother’s mother — “Granny”— taught me to play Tripoli and construct jigsaw puzzles, she permed my hair while we watched Another World, and allowed me to set the table for her women’s bridge group that lasted more than 50 years.

There is beauty in a family name. When I say it, memory kindles. When I write it, connection roots. When I hear it, voices sing. When I breathe it, they sit beside me. My nieces carry their names, too. Their names resonant across generations. Deeper than lessons learned and example set, I am them. They are me. 

EXERCISE 135: QUICK DRILL FOR LAUGHTER AND MEDICINE

each time

Describe someone’s laugh five different ways, each time using a different simile or metaphor.

She laughs like fudge on ice cream. She laughs like butter on egg noodles. She laughs like ice melting snow. Laughter as medicine for our wounds, balm for our souls, lens for our comfort. Laughter as glasses clinking, clouds floating, joy breathing. 

Thank you for reading MONDAYS ARE FREE. These are my explorations of poetry and language and joy. Subscribe to the Wide-Awakeness Project to share this journey.

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